Sports Takes and Predictions

Big East Basketball Weekend

There is almost a full slate of conference match ups this weekend in the Big East. With 16 teams and a number of high quality programs, the league schedule can be brutal. Every weekend from here on out will be a battle.

Main Event

Connecticut (11-3, 2-1) @ Georgetown (11-2, 2-1) – Saturday 12:00pm
This will be the only regular season game between these two annual conference contenders. So far the Huskies have beaten Notre Dame and Seton Hall at home after opening league play with a loss at Cincinnati. G-town won at home against St. John’s and at DePaul but is coming off a tough loss at Marquette. This will be a battle of styles as UConn will look to push the ball and get buckets in transition with guards Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker while Georgetown will look to slow it down in their Princeton style offense utilizing Greg Monroe as their facilitator. You can count on both teams to play tough, physical defense. My guess is that the Hoyas pace and patience will win out at home.

Best Matchup

Cincinnati (11-4, 2-1) @ Seton Hall (9-5, 0-3) Saturday 6:00pm
This is a really interesting game. Seton Hall has had a murderous Big East schedule with losses at home against West Virginia and Syracuse and on the road at Connecticut with all three games being competitive. Cincinnati scored an impressive win against Connecticut at home. They’ve also beat Rutgers on the road but lost to Pittsburgh at home. The Hall is lead by super-scorer Jeremy Hazell. The Bearcats rely on freshman Lance Stephenson and veteran Deonta Vaughn. With their backs against the wall after a tough start I think the Pirates will pull out the win.

Upset Alert

Marquette (10-5, 1-2) @ Villanova (13-1, 2-0) Saturday 2:00pmOddly enough this will be the second matchup of these programs this season. Villanova won at Marquette last Saturday 74-72 behind 23 points from Scottie Reynolds. Marquette has had a difficult early conference schedule, also losing at West Virginia by one point and beating Georgetown at home. In addition to the win against the Golden Eagles ‘Nova has beaten DePaul at home. I think Marquette is going to have all the motivation in the world to beat the Wildcats and that the win over G-town early this week was a huge confidence booster. When you can rely on a talent like Lazar Hayward it can make a huge difference. That being said, Villanova is a highly talented and experienced team. I’m not necessarily saying I think Marquette will win, but I think ‘Nova better beware.

Rest of the Slate (in chronological order)

St. John’s (10-4, 0-2) @ Louisville (11-4, 2-0) Saturday 12:00pm
Hopes were high for the Johnnies early on after wins over Siena and Temple but they’ve struggled so far in league play, losing at Georgetown and by 15 at home against Providence. Louisville struggled early in bad losses to Charlotte and Western Carolina but have turned this around with an impressive effort in a loss at Kentucky sandwiched in between league wins against South Florida and Providence. I don’t see this one being close with the Cardinals agressive defense led by Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith shutting down the Red Storm.

West Virginia (12-1, 3-0) @ Notre Dame (13-3, 2-1) Saturday 8:00pm
The only loss for West Virginia has been to a very impressive Purdue team. In league play they have won at Seton Hall and home against Marquette and Rutgers. Notre Dame was expected to be one of the top teams in the league but have yet to reach those expectations. They solidly beat Providence at home, lost at Connecticut and this week barely held on to win at South Florida. I think WVU is one of the top eight teams in the country while Notre Dame is mediocre. I expect a strong win by the Mountaineers in South Bend.

Rutgers (9-5, 0-2) @ Providence (9-6, 1-2) Saturday 8:00pm
The Scarlet Knights have had two tough early Big East matchups, keeping it close before losing at home against Cincinnati before getting trouced at West Virginia. Providence won at St. John’s but also has losses at Notre Dame and home against Louisville. I’ve got to believe Providence and the impressive Jamine Peterson will pull this one out.

South Florida (10-4, 0-2) @ Syracuse (14-1, 1-1) Sunday 2:00pm
Coming off a win over a well-prepared and impressively coached Memphis team the Orange are looking for their second win in Big East play. They won at Seton Hall before being upset at the Carrier Dome by Pittsburgh. USF was blown out at Louisville but played Notre Dame close this week before losing by one at home. The Bulls are led by two very impressive players Gus Gilchrist and Dominique Jones. Expect South Florida to try to slow the pace similar to the way Memphis did. Still I don’t think they’ll be able to compete with Wes Johnson and the ‘Cuse in the dome. I expect the Orange to win by around 15.